Was the 2025-2026 Cleveland Cavaliers journey to the Eastern Conference Finals a bust or a sign of hope for next season?
For the Cavs front office, there’s pride in what the team accomplished — its first conference final since 2018 — but disappointment remains after being swept by the New York Knicks.
“I always say two things can be true,” Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman said Friday, May 29, in a season wrap-up news conference. “We hated the way it ended. We’re disappointed with the way it ended. I think the reason for that is we have higher expectations. We’ve built this thing to a level of standards, of excellence, and we know we could be better. But the other thing that could be true is we could be proud of what we’ve accomplished here, be proud of what we’ve built.”
Altman was blunt when talking about Game 1 of the conference finals. The Cavs led by 22 points in the fourth quarter, only to lose in overtime.
“I think for us, if we’re being honest and transparent, when we lost Game 1, that really impacted us,” Altman said. “That was the time to sort of put them on their heels and stop that momentum that they had, and we gave that one away.”
In reviewing the conference finals, Altman saw one constant playing a significant role in the outcome.
“We missed a lot of open shots and that’s not a get-better thing,” he said. “I don’t know what it was. You get to this level, shot-making matters. In that series in particular, we missed a number of open shots and so shot-making was big and matching [the Knicks] offense was a big part.”
Given the Cavs played every other day for a large chunk of the playoffs, Altman said the team must start preparing now to avoid fatigue playing a major factor in the future.
“We got to get better in terms of we want to play longer.” Altman said. “If we’re going to use [tired] legs as an excuse, then that means we got to start now in terms of our preparation, endurance, durability, because everyone’s going through that right now.”
Altman understands fatigue can impact the game, but he does not want to see that as an excuse.
“I’m not saying there’s not fatigue and mental fatigue, but you got to give yourself a chance,” Altman said. “And that’s why we’re disappointed because we’ve built ourselves up to a level of expectation and standard now to where we want to get to the finals and compete for that championship and so anything less is just excuses. We can’t go there.”
Altman said he’s had various discussions with staff members, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and players about the next steps for the team. He said their conversations all align with bringing another championship to Cleveland.
“We have a foundation here to put us in a position to compete for championships. It’s been a long road to get here. We have to figure out how to break through one more time,” Altman said.
Koby Altman praises players, Cavs’ growth throughout NBA playoffs
The Cavs reached the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. They went 52-30 this past regular season, earning the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference after being the top seed a year ago.
Each year, as the Cavs have progressed, they have looked to elevate themselves through player development and acquiring key contributors from the outside, such as trading for All-Star guard James Harden in February.
“This group is still kind of new like when you talk about adding Harden at the deadline,” Altman said. “Over the last five years, we’ve retooled and added to this roster. This is certainly not a place where we’re like we need to blow this up and start again.”
Altman also spoke about guard Donovan Mitchell’s personal impact on the team and the success it has brought the Cavs. The team acquired Mitchell ahead of the 2022-23 season to jump-start this run of playoff trips.
“Donovan is our guy,” Altman said. “Four years without him, no playoffs. Four years with him, playoffs. He’s elevated everything about this franchise and organization. He finally broke through to a conference finals, and he wants more. We’re getting him at his peak right now.”
For center Jarrett Allen and forward Evan Mobley, they played a crucial role during the first two rounds of this year’s playoffs against the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons.
In the Cavs’ Game 7 win over the Raptors, Allen totaled 22 points, 19 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. He dominated the third quarter, scoring 14 points and lifting the Cavs to a lead going into the fourth quarter.
“Game 7 JA, that’s going to be etched in the walls somewhere in Cleveland history, and it really will be because we needed him at those times and at those moments when our season’s on the line. He was incredible,” Altman said.
Mobley keyed Cleveland’s first road win of the 2026 playoffs, Game 5 in Detroit, as he hit a big 3-pointer and made some clutch foul shots.
“Mobley … you can argue was consistently our best player throughout the playoffs,” Altman said. “He was tremendous for us. That 3 ball that went it gave us all the belief. We didn’t see that from him two, three years ago.”
Mobely’s name is prominent in any trade speculation involving the Cavs. Altman made it clear he was not going to talk about trade rumors. With what he considers a high-caliber roster heading into the offseason, he said any changes will need to be discussed extensively.
“If you have a really good deep roster, you have to make difficult decisions,” Altman said. “And, so, we’ll start to deliberate what that means and who we can bring back.”
The Akron Beacon Journal sports department can be contacted via email at bjsports@thebeaconjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs exec Koby Altman reflects on season, says team must get better